Despite featuring the conference's bottom four teams, Tuesday afternoon's ACC Tournament first round action from Greensboro, N.C. did not disappoint from an entertainment standpoint. Both opening round games came down to the final seconds, and both were ultimately decided by a single point.
2015 ACC Tournament results and bracket: Boston College, Virginia Tech win opening round thrillers
One of the premier conference tournaments in the country got underway on Tuesday with two first round games that went down to the final seconds.
If Tuesday was any indication of how the rest of the tournament is going to be, then this figures to be a memorable week inside the Greensboro Coliseum.
No. 12 Boston College 66, No. 13 Georgia Tech 65
Olivier Hanlan showed why he was selected as a first team All-ACC performer by both the league's media and coaches earlier this week by burying a jumper with 10.9 seconds remaining to lift Boston College to a 66-65 win over Georgia Tech in the first round of the league's tournament.
Hanlan did it all for the 12th-seeded Eagles on Tuesday, scoring a game-high 25 points while also leading the team with 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Senior guard Patrick Heckmann also rose to the occasion, chipping in a season-high 19 points for BC.
For Georgia Tech, the gut-wrenching defeat was a microcosm of its entire season. The Yellow Jackets led 63-57 with 1:51 to play before unraveling in a fashion its fan base had become regrettably accustomed to in recent months. In all, 13 of Georgia Tech’s 16 ACC losses this season came by 7 points or fewer, with four of those coming by a single point. The Jackets were also an astounding 0-11 in ACC games decided by 5 points or fewer.
The close losses are little consolation for Tech coach Brian Gregory, who entered this season on the hot seat and did little to convince anyone in Atlanta that he deserves a fifth season with the program.
No. 14 Virginia Tech 81, No. 11 Wake Forest 80
The tournament’s first technical upset came Tuesday afternoon when Virginia Tech, which finished alone at the bottom of the ACC’s regular season standings, toppled 11th-seeded Wake Forest in another thriller.
After a back-and-forth final minute, Hokie guard Jalen Hudson hit a jumper with 11.7 seconds to go that proved to be the game-winner. The true freshman came off the bench to hit 10-of-18 points and score a season-high 32 points in just 29 minutes of court time. Hudson was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line.
Hudson's heroics overshadowed a brilliant performance by Wake Forest's Codi Miller-McIntyre, who scored a team-high 23 points to go along with 11 assists and just 1 turnover. Junior forward Devin Thomas added 22 points for the Demon Deacons.
The win by Virginia Tech, which committed a season-low 4 turnovers, snapped a 7-game losing streak that had dated back to Feb. 9. It also gave the Hokies their first ACC Tournament win in three years.
Bracket
The ACC has an updated bracket available here.
Schedule and results (all times Eastern)
Tuesday, March 10 (First round)
Game 1: No. 12 Boston College 66, No. 13 Georgia Tech 65
Game 2: No. 14 Virginia Tech 81, No. 11 Wake Forest 80
Wednesday, March 11 (Second round)
Game 3: No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Florida State, Noon, ESPN/ACC Network
Game 4: No. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 12 Boston College, 2 p.m., ESPN/ACC Network
Game 5: No. 7 N.C. State vs. No. 10 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., ESPN2/ACC Network
Game 6: No. 6 Miami vs. No. 14 Virginia Tech, 9 p.m., ESPN2/ACC Network
Thursday, March 12 (Quarterfinals)
Game 7: No. 1 Virginia vs. Game 3 winner, Noon, ESPN/ACC Network
Game 8: No. 4 Louisville vs. Game 4 winner, 2 p.m., ESPN/ACC Network
Game 9: No. 2 Duke vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN/ACC Network
Game 10: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Game 6 winner, 9 p.m., ESPN/ACC Network
Friday, March 13 (Semifinals)
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN/ACC Network
Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 9 p.m., ESPN2/ACC Network
Saturday, March 14 (Championship)
Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 8:30 p.m., ESPN/ACC Network
See More:
